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Topic: smartphone/GPS/map (Read 1632 times)

I know this has been discussed a few times over the years. However I'm trying to decide if i want to buy a standalone GPS. I have budget for a Oregon 700/750/750t, however, all the walks i've done this year (about 400 odd miles worth), i've found that my iPhone 6s with Outdoors GPS app (which i pay for 1:50 OS maps) has done a brilliant job.

My concern is that i am going to wales for new year. The weather is not known for being stable and usually blimmin cold at that time. I have a battery pack that i usually take with me for walks, and i dont take paper maps (i dont own a printer). The iphone has a drop proof and waterproof case so no water ingress will happen. Outdoors GPS is great because its a cheap year OS subscription and it map's my walks.

The phone could die and it's good to have a back up. Or perhaps i should just use the Garmin and have the smartphone as the backup, but then i think that the smartphone probably trumps the garmin for tech. I'd be annoyed if the phone worked better than the garmin. Maps are not waterproof and cumbersome and i'm not sure which walks i want to do sometimes or then i change my mind depending on the weather.

Personally I use my smartphone and I have a large backup battery which charges my phone about 5 times before it too needs charging. I've stopped using maps and use the app Backcountry, for the UK and SityTrail for France. I usually stick to National Trails and other well known routes so my phone to me is more than enough.

Personally I use my smartphone and I have a large backup battery which charges my phone about 5 times before it too needs charging. I've stopped using maps and use the app Backcountry, for the UK and SityTrail for France. I usually stick to National Trails and other well known routes so my phone to me is more than enough.

Smartphone that use, say Viewranger, are really cheap in supermarkets.[sub £30 ] Don't even need a sim. I use one of those as back up to my cheap EBOG Etrex. My compass and maps stay in my bag. Map readers are aware that it is just as easy to mislay a compass as it is to mislay a phone, surely?

I carry maps (in rucksack) have Garmin GPS, but to be honest, in the last couple of years I've used my IPhone6s more and more for navigating. Using 'Outdoor GPS' it's just so easy to see, zoom in and out to see the wider area.So the mobi has a yes from me

Losing my phone is always a possibility but I keep it in a waterproof bag permanently attached to me via a landyard. The one thing that does annoy me about the latest phones is there is no secure point on them as there used to be. So what would I do if I did lose my phone? I'd walk, bus or hitchhike to the nearest shop and buy a new one I suppose, or buy a map.

Losing my phone is always a possibility but I keep it in a waterproof bag permanently attached to me via a landyard. The one thing that does annoy me about the latest phones is there is no secure point on them as there used to be. So what would I do if I did lose my phone? I'd walk, bus or hitchhike to the nearest shop and buy a new one I suppose, or buy a map.

There's a front pocket on my paramo that i would have stored my map when walking. i put my phone in that. with a water proof case as well, it works nicely. That's good in conditions that arnt too harsh, but black mountains in the winter is more of a worry.

I find the trouble with my phone is the screen is hard to read in bright light, it isnít waterproof and has no attachment point. Also I have to unlock it to use it and if I close the case it shuts off to conserve the battery which is irritating. On the other hand my gps has a bright screen which is always on, is weatherproof, has a clip to attach it to my shoulder strap and a lanyard so it doesnít hit the floor if I drop it. Moreover, the batteries last for multiple trips and I carry a spare set of AAs in my bag. Actual maps are a faff; they have to be got out and unfolded before use and then put away again, not to mention coping with them in a breeze. Either that or they have to be prefolded and carried in a map holder which either flails around in the slightest breeze or has to tucked away to the point where you canít get at it easily anyway. I print out my maps onto A4 sheets, double sided and then put them in a clear wallet which gets folded into 4 and put in a trouser pocket.

I find the trouble with my phone is the screen is hard to read in bright light, it isnít waterproof and has no attachment point. Also I have to unlock it to use it and if I close the case it shuts off to conserve the battery which is irritating. On the other hand my gps has a bright screen which is always on, is weatherproof, has a clip to attach it to my shoulder strap and a lanyard so it doesnít hit the floor if I drop it. Moreover, the batteries last for multiple trips and I carry a spare set of AAs in my bag.